Fordham University - MS in Quantitative Finance

What truly sets this program apart is Professor Sheng's (also the Program Director) exceptional connections within the finance industry. When I expressed my interest in a niche asset class, she connected me with people who had started a prominent fund trading in that area. Her network facilitated internship opportunities at hedge funds for my friend and me. Additionally, she frequently invites industry leaders to speak and network at the school, such as the CEO of Tower Research, Hedge Fund CIOs, Senior Quant Researchers from big hedge funds, inventors of exotic financial derivatives, and countless others. It feels like she knows everyone in finance, echoing her sentiment that "finance is a small circle." Fordham is extremely fortunate to have her. She genuinely supports promising students. This is evidenced by her helping me secure a sell-side quant role in Europe through her connections. Truly incredible.

As I am part of the first class with Sheng as the program director, it's understandable that the program's ranking hasn't yet reflected her impact. However, it's clear to me that the program is criminally underrated.

While Fordham may not have the broad recognition of some other institutions, its skills, expertise, and network ultimately matter more than the school's name. Compared to schools like Columbia, where students often feel anonymous, Fordham offers a more personalized and supportive environment. I believe Fordham holds its own against even the most prestigious institutions because of Professor Sheng.

Currently, Fordham can be considered a tier 2 school. Fordham offers an incredible value proposition for those who didn't make it to a tier 1 school.

Besides the network potential, there is also the location advantage: if you want to work in finance, would you prefer to be in New York or Georgia? New York or Minnesota? New York or California? The answer is clear.

I graduated from MSQF in 2023.

Gazing out the window, I see the upper west side covered in sunshine. It’s been almost two years since I started calling NYC home, and I am just filled with whole-hearted gratitude for the journey I took on with the Fordham University Master of Science and Quantitative Finance (MSQF) program. It presents me with a world, one that is so mysterious, yet so fascinating, the finance industry. The QF not only cultivated a holistic framework for my profession in quantitative finance but also fostered my personal growth. By merely reflecting on the past few years, I am struck by the profound transformation it has brought me.

The program’s curriculum is a rich tapestry of interconnected disciplines. I recall exploring the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) in my undergrad studies. However, the knowledge gets further imprinted in my head through the lens of rigorous mathematics. This deeper understanding allowed me to see the economic rationale behind theories in finance, and the connections among different subjects started chaining up; this newfound insight was not limited to finance. It extended to a broader framework of how different disciplines intersect and influence each other. Fordham Universities, Lincoln Campus, is at the heart of New York City. Just a couple blocks away from Columbus Circle and Central Park, the school’s location offers a vibrant city life, opportunities, a dynamic job market, and a range of professionals to connect with. I remember walking to my hedge fund internship in midtown, which only took 10 to 15 minutes. This convenience is also appreciated by the International Association of Quantitative Finance (IAQF), as they chose here to conduct their monthly seminar. Quantitative finance students are required to attend these seminars. I recall one presented by a practice professor from NYU or Cornell discussing market-making algorithms and using volume-adjusted price instead of mid-price. This research, backed by a machine learning model that required terabytes of memory to train, illustrated the complexities of the real world and the impressive techniques industry leaders are utilizing.

The classes are challenging but rewarding. I remember Professor Sheng’s thought-provoking questions in the classroom. She was not just trying to push knowledge into our heads but instead wanted us to understand the intuition and principles behind it. Her passion for finance and enthusiasm for teaching made even the most tedious classes seem less daunting. Learning with MSQF is like peeling onions; it reveals the intricate mechanism beneath the surface to those who work for it. The program did an exceptional job developing my coding skills, which I now use extensively.

The program support was both invaluable and immeasurable. At a crossroads in my life, balancing a demanding academic program, my transitions, the COVID-19 developments, not to mention being in a foreign city, was difficult. I remember a family situation in China before my first semester’s finals. The program director did not just fully understand my circumstances but went another step; she worked on my behalf to coordinate with professors and advisors to extend timelines and provided mentorship and emotional support, so I could continue and learn to my desired depth. It was a crucial moment, and I still appreciate it today. The support that QF offered was not just guidance on academics; it gave me a hint at navigating life. It was at that moment, I realized that I had transitioned from my early adulthood to a full one. The two years with QF were more than just a degree; it was a personal and professional transformation journey.

I am a May 2023 Fordham University, Gabelli School of Business Master of Science in Quantitative Finance graduate. I attended Fordham from Fall 2021 to Fall 2022, receiving a full-time offer to an asset management firm in portfolio construction at the beginning of Fall 2022 after a Summer 2022 internship. I was able to finish classes in December 2022 and begin working in January 2023.

Each and every day, something I learned at Fordham has been called upon during the execution of my projects. From my Simulation Applications and Computational Finance classes with Professor Balsera and Professor Sheng to my Portfolio Theory course with Professor Macqueen and Fund Strategy and Performance course with Professor Tong, everything has been of use. I consistently reference my class notes and slides and have even found myself reusing code from previous notebooks. The cohorts are small, and the professors are extremely passionate about what they teach and care about us as students. Professor Sheng is the program director and still makes herself accessible and works to connect the dots for us. The professors have vast networks and ensure that if you are doing the work, asking questions, and communicating your goals, they will put you in the right places. We have a Research Seminar course where Professor Sheng invites colleagues from the street to discuss what they are doing at their firms and their perspective on the industry's current state in general. For me, this is something that genuinely illustrates the quality of the professors because, first and foremost, the industry is small; therefore, you must have a good name on the street, meaning you have built good relationships over time, to have past friends and colleagues be willing to take the time to come and speak with us. From there, the professors have no problem taking things even further and introducing you to the speakers if they are doing something in line with your interests. This further illustrates the weight of the professors' names and the power of their recommendations. I have been in a situation where a director at my current employer spoke of the high quality of work of my Interest Rate Derivatives professor, Professor Ren-Raw Chen. The professors are willing to put you in the direction you want, but you must be willing to do the work and express yourself. I witnessed classmates receive internships right out of research seminars, leading them to full-time offers.

When reviewing QuantNet before I started my program, it felt like many prospective students expected schools to find them a job directly. Fordham is more grassroots and relationship based. Fordham has a vast alumni network, and job and internship opportunities are constantly floated around the cohort. Still, you are your biggest advocate when it comes to your job search. The Career Development Center is working to better understand the needs of the Quantitative Finance student, but again, at Fordham, the professors pay close attention to the students. They listen to what you are looking for, review your work, and notice your strengths and participation; it is a relationship, and communication is a must. When you show what you can do, come to class, talk with the professors, express your interests, ask engaging questions, be humble, and be hungry, they will help guide you to where you want to go. Remember, this is graduate school, and you are an adult. If you are applying for a specialization like this, you should already have a plan. Go in applying for summer internships; you must know this from the beginning because classes start in September, which is already late for many internship applications. Remember, the internship is vital to a smooth transition into a full-time role post-graduation. Then pay much attention in your first-semester research seminars, figure out what is happening on Wall Street, and figure out how what you like relates. Then start looking at what courses interest you, figure out what you are passionate about, and put all your effort into knowing about this. After that, begin expressing these interests to your professors, start trying to attend events that involve these interests, and network.

Another great thing about the program is that the Lincoln Center is in Midtown, and the SQA (Society of Quantitative Analysts) has events right in our auditorium. Fordham sets you up for success. Perform well in your classes, discuss your interests with the professors, and attend events; something will mold together. Always be engaged and curious; I can assure you Fordham will help you reach your goals. My classmates are quantitative analysts at bulge bracket banks, traders at market-making firms, and quantitative researchers at crypto hedge funds. Good luck, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions. I am generally busy with work, but I will try to get back to you.

Elite faculty covering most fields in quant finance, boutique class size so you can get exceptional faculty/student ratio than most of the other programs. You can always pick your favorite reach in quant finance and work closely with the faculty to develop your skill set.

Great MSQF Program! Strongly recommend!
Great tier faculty, perfect location next to Lincoln center, powerful alumni network: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2209142

Financial industry becomes more quantitative and competitive as employers look for strong candidates with adequate backgrounds to help them change how companies do business today in order to boost companies’ financial ratios and profit margins. Fordham MSQF is unique program with one of the largest amount of classes available in quant field and great professors that come both from academia and industry sides. Director of the program Prof. Blackburn is one of the best finance professors in the school, having many years of teaching experience.

I joined the program back in September 2015, and to be honest it’s been quite a challenge for me, with a lots of homework with short due dates.

Fordham MSQF (45 credits) is located in the center of New York City right next to Lincoln Center.

Regarding internship and job placement, there are some positions available from Fordham Carrera Center and Aluminate’s network, but Quantitative Finance/ Financial Engineering field are in demand right now, therefore, I recommend to look on your own as well – there are many opportunities in New York City, Connecticut, etc. Majority of students end up with full time offers or summer internships in large banks, Hedge Funds, Insurance companies, Federal Reserve, Credit Rating Agencies, etc.

Here you can find more information about the program: https://www.fordham.edu/info/24010/quantitative_finance

A very rigorous and challenging program but very effective in touching a wide range of finance and mathematics topics related to the modern day world of quantitative finance. This program consists of a curriculum that builds upon knowledge with each succeeding class. You might end up deriving the black scholes equation, for example, in three different methods in four different classes - each time giving you a new perspective on how to think about its derivation. I myself came in with no financial background, but an applied math undergrad majors with professional experience in computer science. I learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses and what to do with each one. The professors are knowledgeable but also demanding of their students. Therefore if you aren't catching up with the material it's best not to let much time pass.

I first obtained an internship after my first year working for the New York Mets as a business analyst. Working with Python , SAS, and SQL to create a wide range of data analytics reports for various business departments.

Currently I'm working as an Operational Risk reporting developer at Guggenheim Partners - a role I was able to obtain with the help of a Fordham MSQF alumnus , who current sits a few rows behind me on the Sales and Trading floor. If you give this program your very best effort, you will be nothing short of pleased by the outcome.

There is a long story to tell. Certainly, I could not finish today. I will try to write as much as I can later on. Fordham, to be honest, is the transitional point in my life, even viewed ten or twenty years later.

I came from a top 10 university in China, with its reputation being one of the earliest universities in China that opened undergraduate programs of Financial Engineering. Viewed from my master training, to be honest, teachers at my undergraduate school do not have fully technique knowledge of continuous-time finance, though they do have the intuitive understanding of all concepts and try to teach us as much as they can.

Entering Fordham MSQF, I felt extremely hard at the very beginning due to lack of training in programming. Fortunately, I had audited four key graduate courses in Financial Engineering in my last semester at my undergraduate school, I did have more knowledge of Econometrics, derivatives, and a little bit continuous-time finance (just two-weeks in Intro to Stochastic Calculus). Therefore, I spent much of my time learning coding details. However, the course schedule is too intensive that I could not learn VBA quite well in the first eight-week course called Advanced Financial Modelling taught by Prof. Blackburn. I finished half coding in the midterm exam in the fourth week and a little bit more than half coding in the final exam in the eighth week. Honestly speaking, Fordham MSQF program is more intensive than many of Econ/Fin Ph.D. programs at universities ranking around 80-120, in terms of homework and the difficulty of materials.

To be continued...